


Atalanta Hale and the Prophecy of the Seven

by em_23



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24715066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/em_23/pseuds/em_23
Summary: What are you supposed to do when your best friend and kind-of-boyfriend go missing on the same day?Then you get the news that you have to turn against your friends and family to protect them?Just asking for a friend.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Original Female Character(s), Percy Jackson & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. I - Atalanta

**Author's Note:**

> This is a small project I've been working on for some time. I didn't like that Hades didn't have a real stake in the either prophecy, so Lana was my way around that.
> 
> If you're reading this, thanks, I hope you enjoy the chapter and please let me know your thoughts.
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/01oOSrs05EpKJvfnnx3ZbR?si=pFo-R1ddQ-yq9nAqhqITIw

‘The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too.’

\- Vincent van Gogh

**I – Atalanta**

Her dreams had been peaceful for the first time in weeks, no travelling to the conversations of others, seeing the past or future and no flashbacks to her time in the Underworld.

Of course, that peaceful sleep couldn’t last forever.

She was pulled from the darkness by a hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake and from her pleasant dreamless state.

Lana opened her eyes, squinting at the person above her, dimly lit by the candles that remained flaming, even after she’d tried to snuff them out. She was met by the face of Annabeth, she had been expecting someone else, perhaps Nico or someone who didn’t feel uncomfortable stepping into the dark, windowless cabin made of obsidian and decorated like a vampire’s lair.

“No.” Lana shook her head, rolling on her side away from Annabeth and anything she could say, she didn’t want to hear other camper’s dramas, nor did she want to hear about her relationship with Percy Jackson, she wanted to sink back down into the dreamless sleep she’d been thoroughly enjoying, but that didn’t seem to be an option.

“I need your help.” Annabeth responded, her huff visible even if her face was now not.

Lana felt the bed dip as the blonde sat, now unable to pull the red velvet blanket over her face. “You’re worse than Hera.” She decided, inhaling sharply before bringing her hands to rub at her eyes, clearing them of that pleasant sleep she’d had, there was no going back now. “What do you want, Annabeth?”

Annabeth let out a small laugh, Lana frowned and turned to face the daughter of Athena, usually she had more bite than that, and she definitely hated Hera more than Lana did.

“Percy’s missing.” She answered, wringing her hands in her lap, her eyes glancing around the dark of the cabin, Lana couldn’t tell which made her more uncomfortable.

“Have you checked the bottom of the lake?” She asked, which was met with a yes, “Rachel’s super creepy cave?” A glare. “The big house?”

“Of course I’ve checked! This isn’t like him, he doesn’t just go disappearing.” Annabeth looked at her friend, she was obviously worried, and it showed easily on her face, “Can you _look_?” She questioned, her nose crinkling on the final word.

Lana rolled her eyes, lying back onto the blood red pillow and looked towards the ceiling of cabin thirteen, watching the way the light of the candles reflected. She sat up, pushing her red hair, which was almost the colour of the blankets and pillow, off her shoulders and lent back against the headboard, holding her hands out expectantly, she needed something of his if this were to work.

Annabeth pulled the Minotaur horn from her small rucksack at her side, her fingers running over the object before placing it in Lana’s waiting hands.

Lana crinkled her nose at the sight of the horn, shaking her head, “You couldn’t have found something else?” She questioned, which resulted in a shrug from Annabeth.

“Yeah, cool.” Lana shook her head, sitting up straighter in the bed, closing her eyes and wrapping her fingers the best she could around the horn.

It wasn’t well known that the children of Hades had different abilities, Nico could shadow-travel and raise the dead, Hazel was hardwired to find precious metals and gems under the ground and Lana could do this, amongst other things.

She took a breath; clearing her mind and focusing on the horn in her hands, a shiver running down her spine as she tried to focus on Percy, find him.

Lana frowned at the nothingness, tilting her head as she pushed deeper, trying to seek him out on earth, and in the underworld.

She opened her eyes in a flash, her eyes looking as dark as coal in the dimly lit cabin, the frown remaining on her lips. Lana placed the horn down and reached for the cap in Annabeth’s hands, the one Athena had given her, before closing her hands around the material and letting her eyes slide shut.

It took a few moments, panic rose in Lana, perhaps her ability had disappeared, it had been a while since she’d last used it, but then it kicked in.

She could see Annabeth, worried look on her face surrounded by black obsidian and blood red, the faint glimmer of herself sitting next to her that looked more like an aura than a solid person. Lana’s eyes remained closed as she dropped the cap and picked up the horn, her fingers tracing over the lines, searching for Percy in the darkness, but she couldn’t see him. She knew of the importance of the Minotaur horn, she’d heard the stories, it was important to Percy, it was his, claimed through battle with his first monster, but her mind was blank.

Lana opened her eyes, met with the same look on Annabeth’s face that she’d seen behind closed eyes.

“You can’t see him.” She sounded defeated, her voice close to breaking.

“That doesn’t mean anything.” She reached and grabbed Annabeth’s hand, squeezing gently, “If he was asleep, the connection would be weak,” Though, Lana hadn’t seen anything at all, “He’s not in the Underworld, which means he’s not dead.” She tried to lighten the mood, which was met by a sharp glare, which eventually softened.

Annabeth picked up the Minotaur horn from the bed, replacing it in her rucksack and picking up the cap from her bed, turning it over in her hands before she stood and looked down at Lana, opening her mouth to speak, she was rudely interrupted by the sound of Lana’s stomach grumbling.

The daughter of Athena shook her head; placing the cap loosely on her head, “Meet me at breakfast.” She told the other before pulling the cap on properly, her body blinking into invisibility.

“Worried about being seen leaving my cabin, Chase?” Lana teased, which was met with silence. She huffed, pushing the blankets off of herself and moving to get dressed.

As Lana pulled on a pair of dark jeans and a black shirt with some obscure band name across the front, she was lost in thought. Nico was able to dodge her ‘sight’ when he was shadow travelling; God’s weren’t always visible, only if they wanted to be, the Isles of Blest also wasn’t visible, but that didn’t mean much.

She’d have to reach out to Nico, see if he knew anything, and other than her supposed breakfast date with Annabeth, she didn’t have much else going on.

Lana pulled her hair back into a ponytail, making sure her face was free of hair before she pulled on a pair of laced boots and left cabin 13.

* * *

It was later than most had breakfast, training and classes started early every morning except Sunday’s; only a few were still at their respective tables as she made her way into the pavilion. She frowned as she entered, grabbing a plate of food before turning shaking her head at the sight of Annabeth waiting near Hades’ table. She could wait.

Lana moved towards fire in the middle of the pavilion, scraping in a third of her meal and closing her eyes for a few seconds, thanking Hestia and Hades, in return she was met by a breeze that smelled of fresh choc-chip cookies, she was thankful there was no stench of the Underworld that followed.

Lana moved to her empty table, she sat and was immediately joined by Annabeth, who was drumming her fingers on the table.

“Don’t let Chiron see you.” She teased as she picked up a grape from her plate and ate it, looking thoughtful. “Has Nico been around?” Lana questioned, she hadn’t seen her younger (technically, even if he was much older than her due to his time spent in the Lotus Hotel) brother in a few weeks, that wasn’t unusual, neither of them spent much time at Camp Half-Blood, they had other places to be and didn’t overly feel welcomed at the camp, only after Percy’s defeat of Kronos had a cabin been built for them, she wondered if the person who designed it had known that the children of Hades weren’t vampires.

“No.” Annabeth looked around, as if she was looking for a threat, or for Percy.

“Annabeth.” Lana frowned, pushing her plate of food to the side and leaning forward, crossing her arms on the table. “He’s fine, he’s going to be fine, this is Percy we’re talking about.” She lent back, tapping her finger four times on the table before reaching over and taking another grape from her plate. “Dumb arse Percy Jackson who defeated _Kronos_ – then turned down immortality. He’s probably just gone to seen his mum, or Poseidon.” She considered thoughtfully.

“I called Ms. Jackson, he’s not there.” Annabeth answered immediately, an odd look on her face, like she hadn’t considered that he might have been with Poseidon.

“You called?” She had only met Percy’s mum once, and in that short meeting Lana had decided that she was the nicest person ever, the freshly baked blue choc-chip cookies may have swayed her decision.

“It probably wasn’t the best idea.” Annabeth chewed on her bottom lip, looking anywhere but the table and at Lana. “I think I got her worried, more than usual.”

Lana shook her head, eating another grape, preferring the fruit to the odd looking meat on the plate.

“You’re a daughter of Athena, aren’t you supposed to be filled with _good ideas_?” She questioned with a small smile, trying to make light of the situation, but the look on Annabeth’s face remained the same, full of worry.

Lana sighed at the lack of response, she cupped her hands together and closed her eyes, taking in a breath and sitting up straighter, that familiar tingle working it’s way down her spine before a muffin appeared in her hands, she looked down with a smile and took a bite.

“Where did you get that from?” Annabeth questioned, her eyes firmly fixed on Lana for the first time since they’d sat.

“Dionysus.” She answered with a small shrug before taking another bite and setting it down on the table, “It’s blueberry, he won’t be very pleased it’s missing.”

Annabeth shook her head; supposedly not pleased that she could pull a muffin from thin air, but not Percy.

“Why don’t you go and speak to Grover and I’ll speak to literally anyone else?” Lana asked with a small smile, picking up the muffin and standing from the table, leaving her plate for the nymph’s to clean, she took another bite from her muffin, deciding that it was a good enough idea and didn’t wait to hear back from Annabeth before she turned and headed back to cabin 13.

* * *

Lana reached Hades’ cabin, closing the door firmly behind her when she stepped inside, not many people ventured into the cabin, for obvious reasons, but on the odd chance someone did, she wanted to deter them. She grabbed the two candles by the door, placing them on the ground across from each other before doing the same with the candles near the beds. Lana sat in the space between the candles, tapping her fingers awkwardly before she straightened her back and closed her eyes, inhaling sharply as she searched for her brother.

It was black nothingness behind her closed lids, she exhaled, a shiver running down her spine as she pictured Nico, trying to create an image of him in her mind, from his dark eyes to his aviator jacket that he was fond of, his jeans, boots, the way his hair covered his forehead.

Lana’s eyes flew open as she felt someone enter the room, the air she’d just inhaled making her cough, she lent forward, trying to catch her breath.

“Careful.” A calm voice spoke from the beds, from Nico’s bed.

Lana glanced over at her brother, taking a few long moments to catch her breath before she got up from the space between the candles and went to go sit on her bed, opposite from her half-brother.

“I didn’t think you’d come so quickly.” She admitted, crossing her legs on the blanket, watching him cautiously, he’d been in the Underworld, that was obvious, she could smell it on him, but he’d been somewhere else as well, somewhere sweeter. “You were at Camp Jupiter?” Lana questioned.

Nico fixed her with a glare before he lent back on the bed, shrugging his shoulders, it wasn’t something they were supposed to know about. Hades had only told Nico so he could take Hazel there, however Lana suspected there was something more to that. “I was in the middle of something.” He responded, “Jason’s gone missing.”

Lana’s stomach turned and she felt instantly nauseas, she sat up straighter, uncrossing her legs and leaning forward, resting her elbows on her thighs, “So has Percy.” She answered.

Nico looked up sharply, his dark eyes fixing themselves on her, it often surprised her that even though they had different mother’s they still had the same stare, courtesy of their father.

“Both of them?” He asked, averting his eyes, she could almost see his brain turning.

Lana didn’t understand, not yet at least why, or how both Percy _and_ Jason could disappear on the same day. She eyed her half-brother warily.

“Dad said there was something coming, didn’t he?” Lana was met with a sharp nod; she bit the inside of her cheek.

“Someone’s meddling with something.” She stood, moving to pull her bag from under her bed, the bag was enchanted and could only be found by Lana, a gift from Persephone. She riffled through it before she found what she was looking for, pulling out a golden coin that seemed to attract all the light in the room.

“I didn’t realise you were that close.” He mused.

Lana gave him a look, “We aren’t, and it’s not what you think it is.” She answered sharply.

The coin looked similar to the one that Jason carried, his Ivlivs, which could turn into a golden sword or javelin depending on the way it landed.

Lana moved back to the bed, clasping the coin in her hands and closing her eyes, taking in a deep breath and waiting for the familiar shiver to make its way down her spine.

There was darkness at first; Lana turned the coin in her hands, her thumb running over the imperfections on the coin. Then exhaled, a scene starting to appear behind her closed lids.

Jason appeared suddenly, his blond hair and strong shoulders visible as he pushed someone down into the mattress, it took her a few long moments to realise that it was her under him, that it was her red hair he had laced through his fingers.

Lana could feel her cheeks redden; she didn’t want to see the past, not now at least.

She shook her head, trying to clear that image from her mind and focus on Jason now, in the present.

Lana could only see flashes, Jason’s hair, his eyes, a blinding light, nothing solid.

Her own eyes flew open, she was then met with Nico staring at her, a knowing look in his eyes, they may have not know about each other until just over a year ago, but they still _knew_ each other.

“Didn’t think you were that close.” Nico got up, taking one of the candles from where Lana had been earlier and returning it to its spot near the beds.

“We weren’t.” Lana responded, however her answer wasn’t as harsh now, the pink on her cheeks must have been still visible.

“With Percy, I couldn’t see anything, it was just black.” Lana paused, biting her bottom lip, “With Jason, there were flashes, like he was asleep, but not.” She knew she sounded crazy and was making little sense, but the situation didn’t make much sense, but if there were anyone that would understand, it would be Nico.

Nico looked thoughtful, “I don’t get it.” He admitted, and Lana agreed, she didn’t understand either, how could both Percy and Jason go missing on the same day, there was no such thing as a coincidence. “There’s something else going on here.”

Lana nodded and wondered when he brother had gotten so wise, even with the years spent in the Lotus Hotel, she was sure it was due to all the death he’d faced in his life, or the mantle of Ghost King that he wore proudly.

“Something else that I’m sure we’re not supposed to interfere with.” She shrugged, “Did Reyna say anything about Jason?”

Nico looked at his sister, getting to his feet and shaking his head, “No, he didn’t say anything about going anywhere.” Lana could have told Nico that, she’d only been with Jason the day before, though they’d sparred more than spoke, he had seemed fine.

“I’m going to see Hades.” He announced and she shook her head.

“He’s not going to tell you anything, even if there is anything going on.”

“I know that. You should get to Camp Jupiter, with Jason missing; it won’t be long until Octavian is insisting he’s elected Praetor.”

Lana grimaced; there was something about the decedent of Apollo and Augur of Camp Jupiter that made her uneasy. She grabbed a few things from the shelf next to her bunk, a book, music player and a silver bracelet which she closed around her wrist. She placed the other items in her bag before pulling the string tight, closing the opening. 

"Are you going to come back here after?" She questioned, it wasn't unusual for either of them to spend much time at Camp Half-Blood, or Camp Jupiter, they flittered between the camps and their father's domain. 

Nico nodded, straightening his jacket and fiddling with his ring, "Yeah." He answered, "Did you need a lift?" 

Lana sighed, while the children of Hades had many talents, one that she hadn't mastered was shadow travel, it didn't come easily to her like it did Nico or even Hazel, however she made up for that with her other abilities, or gifts. 

"Yeah." She nodded, slinging her bag over her shoulder and holding her hand out for Nico to take, the shadows soon eloping around them as Nico led her away from Long Island and towards the Oakland Hills. 


	2. II - Hazel

“Do not worry about your contradictions - Persephone is both floral maiden and queen of death. You, too, can be both.”

― Nichole McElhaney, A Sisterhood of Thorns and Vengeance

**II – Hazel**

The day had been more interesting than most, even if it had started off normal, from guarding the Caldecott Tunnel with Frank, it was their turn, nothing abnormal there, to a dark haired boy who looked like death, racing down the hill, towards Frank and herself with an old woman on his back, who turned out to be _Juno_ , who then went on to announce that he was none other than the _son of Neptune_ , honestly she wasn’t sure her day could get any weirder, or worse. Hazel was used to being stared at, being a daughter of Pluto, she’d grown accustomed to it, but with Percy by her side, it was worse than she could have imagined.

After their brush with Octavian, and then Nico, who was most definitely hiding something, whether it be knowing Percy, or worse, Hazel wasn’t sure if her day could get any weirder. 

Hazel smiled as she saw her sister on the banks of The Lake, her lips thinning as she did, glancing up at the storm that seemed to be directly over them, she wondered if they’d been hit with the abundance of rain and thunder that rattled windows on purpose, perhaps a sign from Jupiter himself, displeased that a son of Neptune had made his way to the camp, or even more likely angry that that same son of Neptune was currently standing amongst the daughters of Pluto, perhaps he felt under represented with Jason not at the camp, or stressed about a rebellion from the three of them.

Nico had already seemed put off at the arrival of Percy Jackson, it was obvious that they knew each other, even if it wasn’t explicitly said by her older brother. 

If Camp Jupiter saw Nico as the travelling oddball who was about as harmless as the fauns in camp, Lana was the opposite, and while she had the favour of both Jason and Reyna, there were many in camp that didn’t trust her in the slightest. 

There had even been rumours, which she was sure had been started by Octavian, that she had an influence over the decisions that both Praetor’s made, not that Hazel believed that. Lana believed in order, and while she was a strategist and fighter, she wasn’t a leader.

“It’s usually less gloomy.” She tried to break the silence, watching the way Percy’s eyes strayed on the lake, she presumed it must be normal for him, being drawn to large bodies of water, that had been obvious enough in the way he’d used Little Timber to destroy the Gorgons, that alone should have been fact enough he wasn’t the son of some minor god, there weren’t many who had abilities such as that.

She supposed the way he felt about water was probably the same as she felt towards the ground, her mind and body hardwired to feel for precious metals and gems under the soil. She jolted forward as a small emerald no bigger than her thumbnail pushed its way from the gravel of the trail, pocketing it before he noticed, that was not a conversation she needed to have.

She almost missed the way Lana’s features changed at the sight of Percy, the way her eyes widened slightly, like she recognised him, but perhaps not at the same time, she was certain her half-sister would have mentioned something as important as a son of Neptune, especially when there hadn’t been one at the camp in ages, but then again, it wouldn’t have surprised her if she did know Percy, he seemed important, and both Lana and Nico hardly spent much time at Camp Jupiter, or in New Rome. 

Lana had been present more often than not since Jason had gone missing, while Nico had been his normal disappearing self. 

The expression on her sister’s face was enough to confirm her previous thoughts, Nico _and_ Lana knew Percy, but Percy didn’t seem to know them.

Hazel halted when they were close, the rain seeming to let up as they did, the storm clouds separating, revealing a glimpse of sunshine and blue sky, perhaps Jupiter wasn’t angry with them. 

Her eyes glanced between Atalanta and Percy, Nico had mentioned that it would be a good idea to introduce Percy to Lana, but Hazel was now wondering if that was such a great idea, her movements wary as they acknowledged each other.

“Lana, this is Percy. Percy, this is my sister, Lana.” She introduced, wringing her hands in front of her. Hazel would be the first to admit that her siblings, especially Lana (and Nico, when he was being a pain in her arse), were difficult to get along with, but even this was unsettling for her.

“Nice to meet you.” Percy was the first to respond, meeting Lana’s eyes for the first time, his own sea green eyes narrowing for a split second; perhaps Percy did know Lana, but the reaction disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, perhaps not. “You’re both daughters of Hades?”

“Pluto.” Lana corrected a little too quickly, her hand moving to smooth through her red hair, which was wet from the rain.

Hazel recognised that as a nervous tick, an unfamiliar feeling settling in her stomach, she was certain that she’d heard both Lana and Nico refer to their father as Hades in the past, but here she was quick to correct Percy, her features pulled into a small frown.

“Pluto.” Percy answered, his mouth twisting oddly around the word, like it was paining him to say the Roman name, but that look soon settled. Lana’s uneasiness didn’t.

Hazel glanced down at her feet, perhaps if she focused hard enough the earth could swallow her up right then and there. 

“Percy is the son of Neptune,” She told Lana, and didn’t see a look of surprise or shock like she’d seen everyone else who’d met the boy today. “Lana grew up with-” 

Lana shot Hazel a glare, and she felt instantly like she’d overstepped, while she knew of her sister's upbringing, she was unsure why she wanted to keep that unknown, especially to someone who would at least want to know more, they were his family after all. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Percy.” Lana smiled at the son of Neptune. “I hope you don’t mind, I’m supposed to be meeting with Reyna.” 

Hazel nodded, feeling a tad disappointed at the conversation, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to explain to Percy alone what it was like being a child of the big three, but it seemed like that was what she had to do.

“Come on, I’ll take you to the baths. You’ve not lived until you’ve had a Roman bath.” 

* * *

Rain splashed heavily, dousing the worn trail as she walked. There was a sudden flash of lightning, answered by a loud rumbling of thunder that sounded sinister and peaceful at the same time.

Atalanta took in a breath, counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder, gauging how close overhead the storm was. The rain didn’t quicken her pace as she walked, seemingly enjoying the way it seeped through her clothing, rolled down her pale skin and darkened her red hair. On closer inspection there was a vacant look in her eyes, her gaze cast on the lake she was walking around, barely paying any attention to the rain that was beating down faster, the thunder now sounding more urgent, like it was trying to convey something important.

Lana glanced upwards at the next flash, the blinding white reflecting off the lake, her dark eyes meeting the storm clouds before she stilled her walking, turning her head slightly at the feeling of someone close to her, several paces away. She turned, first noticing her sister, the way she seemed inconvenienced by the rain, then the fidgeting of her hands, the small gem that pushed its way up from the sand at her feet, she was quick to grab it, almost as fast as lighting forking across the sky, adamant to retrieve it before the person standing next to her noticed, someone even more familiar than her half-sister. She inhaled sharply, her eyes widening slightly as she took in the taller boy, his ink-coloured dark hair which was now plastered to his forehead, the sea-green eyes that kept flittering to the lake, like he was moments away from jumping in and letting it consume him, there was no recognition in his eyes, no glimpse of how well they knew each other. She hid her surprise, taking a few moments to step closer to them, the sound of her heart beating almost louder than the thunder. 

Both Lana and Nico knew that something wasn’t quite right when Percy _and_ Jason went missing, while their initial disappearance was around the same time, it had been eight months since then and Jason had turned up days later, near the Grand Canyon where he was found by Annabeth and taken along with Piper and Leo to Camp Half-Blood. Percy’s disappearance and now return had her lost for words, she’d searched for him, using her own abilities along with searching the Underworld and anywhere else she could reach. 

The main cause of her worry had been Poseidon and his uneasiness, she could still feel Percy, although the connection was like he was asleep, but he couldn’t have been asleep for eight months, could he? 

“Lana, this is Percy. Percy, this is my sister, Lana.” Hazel introduced, wringing her hands in front of her. 

“Nice to meet you.” Percy was quick to respond and Lana couldn’t ignore the slight worry in his eyes, the creasing of his brow like he was trying to remember something, but it was gone as quick as it had appeared. “You’re both daughters of Hades?” 

“Pluto.” Lana felt herself correct before she could stop herself, even if he was correct, about her being a daughter of Hades, they were in Camp Jupiter, they were Roman here. She could feel Hazel’s eyes on her at the correction, a slight look of confusion settling on her features.

“Pluto.” Came Percy’s response, she could see the way his eyes flickered back to the lake. 

“Percy is the son of Neptune,” Hazel started, “Lana grew up with-” 

Lana glanced quickly to Hazel, meeting her eyes and trying to stop that conversation before it started. Nico and herself were still unclear with exactly what was going on with the gods, so she was unsure how much she actually wanted to let on. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Percy.” Lana forced a smile at the dark haired boy. “I hope you don’t mind, I’m supposed to be meeting with Reyna.” 

* * *

Lana walked from the lake, feeling like she’d just fought a monster, her heart was beating loud in her ears and her hands were shaking, it had been months since she’d felt so out of sorts, since she’d seen someone who was supposed to know her, but had received a blank look in return.

The last time it had happened was when she was at Camp Half-Blood, Percy and Jason had been missing for three days, and they’d been waiting for news, waiting for anything, it wasn’t until Annabeth was told by Hera of all people to go to the Grand Canyon and find the boy missing a shoe, it was ominous enough but they both expected her to find Percy, and not Jason. 

Lana had been gathering the last of her things from Cabin 13, she’d decided that she was going to stay at Camp Jupiter and assist with the search for Jason, she knew that Reyna would need help, and her intention was to keep Octavian as far away from becoming a Praetor as possible. 

She hadn’t heard all the news about the new campers yet, making her way down to where she was supposed to be meeting Nico she paused near the weapons shed, coming to a halt when she recognised a familiar head of blond hair, Jason’s head turning and glancing around the camp, looking past her like she wasn’t even there, all while walking with Drew to the Big House. 

Lana dropped her bag from her shoulder, about to take a step before she was pushed back into the metal wall of the shed, Nico’s hand pressing firmly on her shoulder. 

“Don’t.” He warned, voice low. 

“Nico, Jason’s _here_.” She looked at her brother, eyes wide before shifting so she could watch Jason walk further away. “I have to speak to him, why is he here?” 

Lana looked back to Nico, his dark eyes softening as she looked at him.

“He doesn’t remember anything, Lana.” 

“What do you mean he doesn’t remember anything?” She questioned, confusion evident on her face and in her words. 

“He told Annabeth that he woke up this morning on a bus to the Grand Canyon and that’s it.” 

Lana lent back into the metal wall of the shed, her heart beating fast in her ears. “I don’t understand.” She answered Nico, watching Jason climb the stairs to the Big House in the distance and disappearing inside. “He doesn’t remember?” 

Nico removed his hand from his sister’s shoulder and lent down to pick up her bag, “Remember how we said that there was someone meddling? If Jason’s here, with no memories, there’s a chance that Percy will turn up at Camp Jupiter, it does makes sense, someone trying to unite the camps? Swapping out the two leaders.” 

Lana looked back to her brother, her fingers moving to fiddle with the leather arm bands that hid her Legion tattoo while she was at Camp Half-Blood, he had a point. 

“He came here alone?” 

Nico shook his head. “He came with Leo, who was claimed by Hephaestus, and a girl, Piper, I’m sure she’ll get claimed at the camp fire tonight.” 

Lana nodded, glancing around the camp, trying to spot the two that he’d been travelling with, “I’ll meet you in a moment, okay?” She breathed, she needed to do something. 

“Don’t go up to the Big House. This is bigger than us.” Nico handed her the bag he’d been holding and glanced over his shoulder, and glanced up at the sun in the sky. “Meet me at Rachel’s cave and I’ll take you to Camp Jupiter.” 

Lana watched her brother walk away, her hands shaking around the fabric of her rucksack, taking in a few breaths before she closed her eyes, this was bigger than them, he was right, even if she went to Jason, she was sure she’d feel even worse than she did now if he looked at her like he didn’t know her. 

“Speaking of blades,” She heard Annabeth speak, from around the other corner of the shed, near where the door was. “Come here.”

Lana moved around the side, watching Annabeth and another girl step inside the shed, she must have been the girl that Nico had mentioned, Piper. 

“Every demigod needs a weapon,” Annabeth spoke again, “Hephaestus makes the best, but we have a pretty good selection, too. Athena’s all about strategy - matching the right weapon to the right person. Let’s see…” 

Lana stepped into the shed after Piper, watching Annabeth step through the weapons and look for something that would suit Piper. 

The daughter of Hades paused, taking a moment before ducking around one of the many shelves and reaching down to the bottom shelf, her fingers enclosing around a dusty scabbard, and getting back to her feet. 

She knew of the blade in her hands, knew of its power, and if this girl had turned up at Camp Half-Blood with Jason, she must be important, and if she was to help Jason, they’d need all the help they can get.

“Mossberg 500.” Lana could see Annabeth through the packed shelves, “Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt humans. It’s modified to shoot Celestial bronze, so it only kills monsters.” 

“Um, I don’t think that’s my style.” Piper spoke. 

“Mmm, yeah.” She heard Annabeth agree, “Too flashy.” 

Lana stepped out from around the bookshelf and to Piper’s side, offering the girl a smile as she held out the sheathed blade to her, watching the way her eyes locked onto the weapon, like she was drawn to it.

“I’m sure this is more your style.” She continued to smile at the other girl before she ducked out of the shed before Annabeth could spot her. 

Lana grabbed her bag from the entrance and hoisted it over her shoulder, making her way to Rachel’s cave where she was due to meet Nico. 

She paused on the way, glancing towards the cabins and taking a breath before stepping towards Cabin Three, pushing open the large door, she stepped inside, taking a few moments to glance around before she looked to the fountain at the other end of the room. 

Lana pulled a Drachma from her pocket, stepping towards the fountain, taking a moment before throwing the coin into the spray. “Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, accept my offering and show me Rachel Elizabeth Dare.” 

She waited a few long moments before the image in front of her started to transpire, showing Rachel in front of an easel, painting black onto the white canvas. 

Rachel turned as she noticed the Iris Message appearing, paint covering her hands and a line of black on her cheek. 

“You’ll never guess what I have for you.” The Oracle spoke. 


	3. III - Percy

‘To the north, beyond the gods, lies the legion's crown. 

Falling from ice, the son of Neptune shall drown.’ 

\- Rick Riordan, The Son of Neptune

  
  


**III - Percy**

  
  


Honestly, Percy had been wondering if their day would get any worse. 

They hadn’t been making good time, and the sun seemed to be getting higher and higher into the sky, faster than he liked, damn Apollo. 

He glanced back to the others, deciding that it would be faster to cut across the meadow, rather than follow the road into the town. 

“Come on.” Percy called before stepping off the road. 

“Percy, no!” He heard Hazel call behind him, but before he knew it, he was beneath the earth, swallowed by mud. 

Percy had been expecting the feeling of cold mud around him, his lungs burning as he tried to reach the surface but sinking instead, he didn’t get what he expected. 

When he opened his eyes he was in his bedroom, in New York, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafting through the apartment, he glanced around, his room was exactly the way he’d left it. 

He got to his feet, walking out of his room and towards the kitchen, pausing when he saw his mum standing there, pulling a tray of blue cookies out of the oven and placing the tray on the top of the oven, getting ready to transfer them over to the cooling rack. 

“Mum?” Percy questioned. 

Sally turned and looked at Percy, with a smile on her face. “Percy, I made cookies, and I was about to make a seven layer dip for movie night. Are you okay?” 

Percy remained by the door, glancing around the kitchen, was this real? He felt like he was missing something. 

He nodded, making his way towards Sally before wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug, he had this uneasy feeling in his stomach, he hugged Sally tighter, trying to reassure himself. 

“I just missed you.” Percy responded, closing his eyes. 

“Oh, Percy.” Sally sighed, her hand moving to smooth over his hair as she hugged him back. 

Percy took a few more moments before he pulled back from Sally and shook his head, wringing his hands in front of him, “This isn’t real.” 

“What do you mean, Perce? Of course this is real.” 

The son of Poseidon shook his head again, “This isn’t real, this can’t be real. I’m not here. This isn’t real.” He repeated, as much as he wanted this to be, no matter how much he wanted to be home, movie night with his mum, this wasn’t real. 

The image around him faded from his apartment in New York to somewhere darker, he could tell that he didn’t want to be here, this still wasn’t real. 

_“The son of Neptune shall drown ._ ” He heard a voice speak, one that rattled him to his bones, he’d heard this voice before, and immediately knew who it belonged to, Gaea. 

He’d heard her speak when he was gambling with Phineas, but he was certain he’d heard her voice in his dreams. 

Percy turned, glancing around the room that he was now in, it was old and dusty and smelt of earth, he started to feel tight chested, like he couldn’t breathe. 

He wasn’t usually deterred by being underground, but he had a feeling that the soil and clay wasn’t making him feel uneasy. 

“ _We can prevent all this, Perseus .”_

Percy brought a hand to his chest, trying to slow his breathing, was he drowning? There wasn’t any water around, his lips felt dry, but he was missing something, where was he really? 

He looked around him, noticing two giants in the room with him, fascinated with a bronze jar that was in the taller giants hands.

_“Just say the word, submit to me and this can all be over, little hero.”_

“No.” Percy managed, feeling as if his throat was closing over, he tried to focus on the giants, get closer to see what they were looking at. “No, not this. Not to you.” 

He tried to watch the giants as he fell to his knees, leaning over and coughing dark, sludgy mud into the palm of his hand. 

Alaska. Hazel and Frank. That’s what he was forgetting. 

Percy struggled to his feet, closing his eyes, “No.” He repeated between coughs, the sludge coming faster from his throat now, is this how he died? Drowning in mud. 

_“There is unimaginable pain to come, Perseus. I can protect you here, keep you safe until you’re needed.”_

Percy shook his head, coughing harder, his legs threatening to fold under him, he was so close to giving in, could she really save him? 

The next thing Percy knew, he was above ground, the asphalt of the road pressing painfully into his back, hands touching his face and chest, he could hear someone speaking to him, but couldn’t quite make out the words. 

“Percy!” The voice came again, he could hear now, the ringing in his ears subsiding. 

“Percy, come on.” He coughed, rolling onto his side as he felt the sludge trail down his cheek, he took in a ragged breath, the hand carding back through his hair, that same voice reassuring him. 

Percy opened his eyes, looking up at the sky above them, his hand moving to wipe the mud from his eyes, so he could see properly, he expected Hazel, or Frank, not the person who was hovering over him, her dark eyes wide as she looked down at him, the same mud that he was sure was covering him was saturating her red hair and pale skin. 

“Lana?” Percy took in another deep breath, he would never take breathing for granted ever again, drowning was something he never wanted to experience again, mud or no mud. 

Lana let out a sigh of relief as she looked down at him, shaking her head before she glanced away, she must have been looking at Frank and Hazel. 

“How?” He questioned, trying to sit up. 

The daughter of Hades helped him sit up, her hands never leaving him, “I felt you go under.” She frowned, glancing back at Hazel who was equally covered in mud, she must have gone in after him, “Then Hazel called to me, I knew I had to get here, lucky I did.” 

Hazel, who Percy could now properly see nodded and lent over to grab her sister’s hand, squeezing tightly, “I don’t know what happened.” She admitted, her eyes going to Percy, “I jumped in after you, and I saw my mum, in New Orleans, and my life, before.” She brought her hand to her face, trying to wipe away any mud that she could. “Then Gaea spoke to me, she told me that she’d captured Nico.” 

Percy watched Lana’s face set into something hard, he remembered her now, that she was one of his best friends, that they’d fought together, spent time at camp together, she was someone that he could trust, fully, along with Annabeth and Grover, and now Hazel and Frank. 

“Did you see where?” Lana questioned. 

Hazel shook her head, “No.” 

“I think I did.” Percy spoke, he felt better now, that he’d inhaled a few lungfuls of air, “There were giants, two of them, they had this bronze jar.” He paused, “I don’t know if Nico was there, but it felt important.” 

Lana got to her feet, offering her hand to Percy, which he took and stood up, uneasy at first, he moved his hand to her shoulder for balance. 

“We have to keep going.” Percy glanced towards the town, the sight of the sun rising higher in the sky, they didn’t have much time, “Is there somewhere in town we can clean off?” 

“Somewhere that accepts mud people?” Frank offered with a smile as he helped Hazel to her feet. 

“I think I know a place.” Hazel responded. 

* * *

Lana stayed with them as they walked, his shoulder bumping against hers every few steps, the mud on them was starting to dry, but he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. 

“How did you get here?” He questioned, looking over at her. 

Lana shook her head, glancing at Percy, she pursed her lips, “Emotions must have been running high, Nico’s tried to teach me for shadow-travel, guess I just never had a good enough reason.” She sighed, looking exhausted all of a sudden, “I don’t know how he does it, I feel like I’ve just gone toe to toe with a Titan.” 

Percy smiled and ducked his head, glancing down to his feet, his hands instinctively feeling for Riptide in his pocket at the mention of a Titan, he was sure he preferred Kronos over Gaea, however he hadn’t lost as much, at least not yet. 

“Will you come with us? To the glacier?” The mention of his memories returning hadn’t even come up yet, he wasn’t sure if they would, he remembered everything about their friendship, he wondered if she still thought he was clueless, probably yes. 

“I can’t.” Lana answered, “This is your quest, you three have to finish it. I’ll come with you as far as Seward, and then I’ll make my way back to Camp Jupiter, I doubt I’ll be able to shadow-travel again, but I’ll figure something out.” 

“We flew here.” Percy offered with a shrug. 

Lana fixed him with a stare, “I’m not flying anywhere.” 

He laughed, shaking his head, “I’m sure Zeus wouldn’t blast you out of the sky, surely you’re on better terms after the Battle of Manhattan.” 

Lana almost stopped walking, her full attention returning to Percy, “You remember?” 

Percy nodded, “I think so, maybe not everything, but the important bits.” 

The daughter of Hades nodded, “Then you remember Annabeth.” She glanced down the road, the town close, he wondered where Hazel had in mind for them to clean up, somewhere with running water, he hoped. 

“Of course.” He answered, Annabeth had been the name he’d woken up with in his head, she was the one that was pushing him to finish the quest, to get back to Camp Jupiter before the Feast of Fortuna and then follow through to wherever else they needed to go. 

“Then you need to finish this and get back to New Rome.” 

Percy was exhausted, the mud was drying into his hair and clothes, he wanted this to be over. 

Lana stepped in front of him, resting her hand on his shoulder, her dark eyes meeting his sea green, “Finish this, get back to New Rome, I swear on the Styx that you’ll see Annabeth again soon.” 

Percy exhaled, his hands curling into fists, that’s all he wanted, Annabeth. 

Lana stepped back from him, moving to Hazel’s side and walking next to her for a few minutes, he presumed that they were discussing what Gaea had mentioned in Hazel’s vision, that Nico had been captured. 

Hazel grabbed her sisters hand and squeezed tightly before Lana pulled back and looked between the three of them.

“I’m not going to wish you good luck, you don’t need it. I know you’re going to be fine.” 

Percy nodded, “We’ll see you back at camp.” 

Lana smiled, “Kick some giant arse for me.” 

* * *

The Feast of Fortuna had been great, better than he expected, and he was thankful that no tuna had actually been involved. 

Being elected as Praetor was something he hadn’t expected, but it just felt right. 

Percy had passed out as soon as he’d gotten into the Praetor accommodation, only just managing to get under the covers, his head hit the pillow and he was out. 

He woke with a jolt and sat up in bed, the conversation with Hera echoing through his mind, taking a few moments to get his breathing under control he realised that he wasn’t alone in the room, reaching for Riptide under his pillow, he was moments from uncapping before he relaxed. 

Lana was asleep in one of the two chairs in the room, her arms crossed over her chest, sword hanging from her belt and feet resting up on the other chair, her boots still on. She was dressed the same as she’d been at the Feast, wearing dark jeans and an oversized purple Camp Jupiter shirt. 

Percy got to his feet, crossing the short distance to where Lana was and resting his hand on her shoulder, shaking her gently awake.

Lana’s eyes opened quickly as she woke, and he didn’t miss the way her hand inched towards her hip, where the hilt of her sword rested. 

“Hey.” She greeted, blinking a few times before rubbing her eyes with her hands, “Sorry, I’ve been crashing here, with Jason gone. I was going to stay with Reyna, but she had company tonight.” 

Percy moved back to the bed, sitting down and pulling the blankets back over his legs, “Get over here.” He told her, patting the space of bed next to him. 

Lana was still for a few moments before she nodded, getting to her feet and toeing off her boots, removing her sword from her hip and sheathed blade from her thigh. She stretched her arms over her head before joining Percy in bed, sinking back down against the pillow and looking at the ceiling. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, shifting on her side so she could look at him. 

Percy nodded, “Yeah. I had a visit from Hera.” 

“Hera? What did she want now?” 

Percy explained the dream to her, telling her about the plan to unite the Greeks and Romans, the Doors of Death had to be closed, that he was the glue that would unite the seven. 

“How’s it feel to be involved in a great prophecy for a second time?” Lana teased, pulling the blankets up over her shoulders. 

“Annoying.” Percy answered honestly, “I thought that we’d fight Kronos, that we lost everyone, for a reason, and now we have this? I was so fucking happy, and now this. Close the Doors of Death, fight _Mother Nature_ herself, I’m over it, I honestly am.” He breathed. 

Lana shifted onto her stomach and rested her chin on her arms, watching Percy. 

“At least Poseidon isn’t disappointed in you.” 

“Yeah, Lana, because that’s what I’m aiming for here, my father’s approval.” 

Lana reached out and grabbed his arm, her fingers trailing over the marks on his skin, tracing the trident and SPQR letters. 

Percy grabbed her wrist, turning over her arm so he could see the black marks on her forearm, his thumb smoothing over the letters that matched his own, “This explains the arm bands. I just thought you had a thing for leather.” 

Lana smiled, pressing her cheek to his chest, “Who’s to say I don’t have a thing for leather?” She questioned. 

Percy shifted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, his fingers carding through her long hair, “Glad to see you got all the mud out. How did you get back from Alaska?” 

“It was a fucking nightmare, the mud and the trip back.” She shook her head, relaxing further into his side, her arm resting over his chest. “I had to get to Canada first, no one would pick me up covered in mud, so I hosed myself off in someone's yard. Which wasn’t great, then I managed to call Mrs. O’Leary once I got to the border, who took me to Tyson and Ella. You know, for all the gifts Hecate gave me, I honestly thought being an all powerful spawn of Hades would give me the ability to shadow-travel at will.” 

Percy laughed, leaning to sniff the top of Lana’s head, “You smell better now.” 

Lana tapped him lightly on the chest, “The benefits of a Roman Bath, don’t think I would have lived through the day if I had to use the communal showers at Camp Half-Blood.” 

“Do you think Hades is disappointed in you?” He questioned, his fingers stilling in her hair. 

Lana was silent for a long moment, “At it with the hard questions, Jackson. I don’t care if he’s disappointed in me.” 

“We both know that’s not true.” 

The daughter of Hades sighed, “I’m a pawn, for whatever reason he wasn’t ready to pull Nico and Bianca out of the Lotus Hotel earlier, when he found out about you, and Jason, it was the best option he had, now one great prophecy has come and gone, thanks for taking one for the team anyway, half-blood of the eldest gods.” 

Percy shook his head with a small smile, his hand moving to her back. 

“And now the prophecy of the seven and I’m still not involved? It’s just the Fates playing with him, I’m a daughter of Hades, who was thrown into the sea as a child because I wasn’t wanted by my mother, picked up by Amphitrite, blessed by Hestia. A child of the big three, they’re supposed to be powerful, but being blessed by three gods?” Lana sighed, “Even with this new prophecy, who’s to say I wouldn’t fuck it up?” 

Percy frowned, “New prophecy?” He questioned. 

Lana shook her head, “I just mean, if there was another prophecy, maybe there’s a reason that I’ve been left out of the last two.” 

“You’re welcome to take my spot.” He shrugged. 

“And become the glue? That’s your job, Sushi.” She laughed, taking in a breath before continuing, “They’ll be arriving on the Argo tomorrow, if nothing else goes wrong.” 

“Reyna mentioned that you and Jason were close.” 

Lana stilled, remaining silent for a moment, “Yeah, not that it matters anymore. You’ve got your memory back, Jason doesn’t, he’s with Piper anyway.” 

“You don’t think that he’ll get his memory back?” 

“I think the Fates like too fuck with me as much as they like too fuck with Hades.” 

“Speaking of fucking with you,” Percy smiled, “How did you know I was in trouble, in Alaska, you said that you felt the both of us, Hazel and me.” 

Lana pulled back from Percy, shifting so she could look at him properly, “I actually spent most of the trip back thinking about it, I’m sure it has something to do with the connection to Poseidon, I know that you and Grover share an empathy link, I can only guess that it’s something like that, a connection.” She shrugged. 

“I’ve not felt it.” 

“I hadn’t felt it before today, and you’re much more likely to get into trouble than I am.” 

Percy smiled, “You’re not wrong. Must be the Fates way of fucking with me, or the gods, I haven’t decided who wants to fuck me harder.” 

“Annabeth, surely.” 

They both laughed, which Percy was thankful for, he’d just returned from one quest and would be starting another tomorrow, he was glad that he could have a small bit of peace in between, he was certain that more trouble was coming his way.

They both relaxed back into the mattress, Lana resting her head on Percy’s chest, with his arm tight around her. 

Percy was asleep by the time Lana spoke again, drifting off into a dreamless sleep. 

“I’m scared, Percy.” She breathed, her voice low, “I know what has to be done, I just-” The daughter of Hades pushed in closer to him, “I don’t want this to happen.” 


	4. IV - Atalanta

‘Gods are cold. War, killing, and stabbing each other in the back is really what we do best.’

― Kendare Blake, Antigoddess

  
  


**IV – Atalanta**

Lana was on edge the moment she entered the remains of Mount Othrys, where Jason had defeated Krios back during the second Titan War. She hadn’t been here since that day and her body still ached at the memory, she’d been close to death that day, only brought back by Jason’s words, by the sheer force of him making her remain and hold on. 

Lana wondered if her father would have let her die that day. She’d already unintentionally disappointed him by not being the child of the prophecy, and now that Nico was no longer in the Lotus Casino, she had felt uneasy and unnecessary. 

The daughter of Hades shifted on her feet, balancing her weight, as she felt a shiver run down her spine, feeling the earth beneath her shift, she wasn’t alone. 

“Gaea.” Lana started, her voice sounded stronger than she felt, she pulled her dagger from where it was holstered at her thigh and brought it to her palm, slicing a line down over her pale skin before she clenched her fist, watching the crimson drip from her palm to the dirt covered black marble of the ground below her. “Earth Mother, I pledge myself to you.” 

Lana fell to her knees as she felt the ground shift, not the top layer of stone and marble where she was standing, but deep below, like something was stirring. 

  
  


_“Seven half-bloods shall answer the call._

_To storm or fire, the world must fall._

_An oath to keep with a final breath._

_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”_

She got to her feet, shaking the uneasiness of Gaea speaking straight into her mind. Lana wiped her blade clean on the fabric of her dark pants and holstered her dagger, swallowing thickly, she knew the prophecy well, had researched it, had almost become obsessed with the scripture. 

_“And tell me, little hero, why should I trust you? Are you not the same child who assisted the Greek and Roman half-bloods with their defeat of Kronos and Krios, my sons?”_ Lana stood straighter; glancing around the area she was in, the exact place that Jason had sent Krios to Tartarus. 

“I was blindly led by my faith in the Gods, and my father. I am no longer blind. Telling you why I would be an asset to your forces would be easy, if you could take me at my word.” She answered, closing her fist tighter and watching several more drops of blood reach the ground. “I think showing you that I am worthy of a position in your cause would be a better show of faith.” 

The ground shifted once more, almost like it was laughing, low and rumbling everything that surrounded the mountain, Lana was almost certain the columns surrounding her would fall. The wind whipped through her hair, whistling through the columns, Gaea’s voice only a harsh whisper. 

_“As you wish, daughter of Hades. Prove to me that you are with me and against your fellow half-bloods and I will consider your position.”_

Lana opened her eyes and was met with the familiar surroundings of Jason’s Praetor accommodation, but Jason didn’t live here anymore, it wasn’t that it had slipped her mind; it was just such an effortless action, turning up to where she could be close to him, somewhere safe.

Shadow travel was such a new concept for her, and was exhausting, it had taken her months to grasp the concept, only really doing it on her own the day before, with Percy. 

Nico and Hazel could do it without thinking, her other gifts were effortless and didn’t require the same amount of concentration that this kind of travel did. 

She had expected the room to be empty, Jason was with the Greeks, Percy would be with Reyna, discussing the arrival of the others, but she was wrong.

“Uh, hi.” A voice spoke and Lana flinched, after her recent encounter with the Earth Mother, she was on edge. Fighting the urge to reach for either of her weapons, she turned, she knew that voice, meeting the brunet who had recently moved in, taking the room and Jason’s Praetor position. 

It was the voice of her best friend, the friend that she’d felt inexplicably drawn to, perhaps for the reason that they were somewhat cousins, along with her relationship with Poseidon, or something more that she fully hadn’t unearthed. Their meeting in Alaska, which had only happened the day earlier, Lana pulling Percy from the thickened mud after she’d been able to feel Percy’s fear all the way from the Underworld, Hazel’s desperate call to her and then the hours after made her stomach turn uneasily. 

“Hey.” Lana responded, feigning awkwardness, “Sorry, such a habit.” She tried to explain, glancing around the room, it was just so Jason, and it was almost exactly the way he’d left it before disappearing all those months ago. 

“It’s cool.” Percy responded, matching Lana’s glances, she couldn’t see much of his own stuff, but he’d only recently been declared Praetor and she was sure he didn’t have much of his own stuff, not here at least. “Reyna mentioned that you and him were close. I guess it explains why you were never that interested in me. You know, there’s every chance he’ll get his memories back.” 

Lana could hear the joking lilt in his voice and she smiled, “I wouldn’t say that.” She answered easily, the same lilt audible in her words. She had felt drawn to Percy once before, but she’d narrowed that down to being drawn to another child of the big three, some kind of magnetic attraction, along with the time she’d spent under Poseidon’s protection, she was sure that would make an impact. 

She glanced down to her feet, ignoring his other words. “Are all your memories back?” 

Percy nodded, moving over to the bed, which was perfectly made and sat down, his fingers tracing over the fabric of the sheets, Lana averted her eyes; she had many memories of that bed, it had also been where she’d been spending most of her nights since Jason disappeared, trying to steer clear of Camp Half-Blood. 

“Most of them, I think.” 

Lana nodded, moving over to the desk that was the only unruly area in the room, covered in papers and a half empty bottle of wine along with two glasses. She smiled, memories of the last time she’d been in this room with the blond Praetor returning to her, a shared bottle of wine, the bed that Percy had now sat on. She turned, leaning back against the desk and crossed her arms over her chest, watching Percy. 

“I IM’d Annabeth earlier.” She started, gauging his reaction, “They’re arriving on the Argo II. Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus. Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite. Annabeth and Jason. I mentioned that maybe it wouldn’t be the best idea explaining Nico’s and I’s affiliation with Camp Half-Blood, not yet at least.” She trusted Reyna with her life, but she didn’t trust Octavian, and while Reyna was Praetor, and now Percy, Octavian still had an unusual amount of pull that she wasn’t comfortable with. She wasn’t overly worried about either of them finding out about her and Nico’s time spent between both camps, however she didn’t want to be the centre of scrutiny, not yet at least. “Can I trust that I have your discretion?” 

Percy nodded almost immediately, she trusted him too, more than she wanted to. “Yeah, of course.” He looked up at her, taking a few moments before he got to his feet and crossed over to her. “If I have yours.” 

Lana raised an eyebrow, uncrossing her arms and smirking, she presumed that he was referring to last night, when they’d shared a bed. She was sure it had something to do with her worry for him, she’d felt him slip into the mud near Seward, the way that his fear had resonated through her from both Percy and Hazel had terrified her, they’d hardly spoken about it since. “It’s very Greek, Annabeth will get over it.” 

Percy shook his head, glancing away from her before his gaze returned, “It’s not that.” He frowned, looking down and pausing, taking her hand in his and glancing at the gash on her palm, the blood sticky, not quite dry, “What happened?” 

Lana opened her mouth to speak, closing her mouth once she heard a knock and a voice coming from the other side of the closed door. 

“Percy, they’re here.” She heard her sister speak; she’d been saved by the arrival of the Argo II, preventing any further of Percy’s questions, but she was left wondering what he’d been speaking of. 

She’d had a moment of weakness, the night earlier, which had ended up with them in bed together, more comforting than anything else, and that it beat Lana sleeping on the chair, but she wasn’t sure he only saw it that way, however he seemed troubled about more than just that. 

They had been friends for years, since before the Battle of Manhattan and Kronos, she’d been splitting her time between both camps, at her father’s request, he wanted both her and Nico relevant and in a position where they had the upper hand. 

Percy stepped backwards at the sound of Hazel’s voice, letting go of Lana’s hand and glancing towards the door, like he was trying to psych himself up to take a few steps out the door to meet Annabeth and the others on the Argo II. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, crossing her arms back over her chest and closing her fingers around the gash on her palm, she didn’t need any further questions, but Percy seemed distracted. 

“Yeah.” He answered, looking back to her before he brushed a hand through his dark hair, she could tell that something had his stomach turning in knots. “What if she’s moved on?” 

So that’s what was bothering him. Lana shook her head, moving closer to the son of Poseidon, “Are you kidding? When you went missing she was beside herself, she even listened to Hera, of all people, to find you. There’s not a chance in Hades that she’s moved on.” This wasn’t the conversation she’d imagined having today, but she supposed that she needed to keep up appearances, having Percy on her side was advantage that she could use, especially with his loyalty flaw, if she acted normal, like she hadn’t just met with Gaea, she was sure there was a favour she could call in, eventually.

She had hoped that he wasn’t so easily swayed though, their friendship, all of her friendships throughout both Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, they relied on trust, and even though she knew what she was doing was terrible, siding with Gaea, it was the safest bet.

Percy nodded and Lana was unsure if her words would have made a difference to the other. While she knew Annabeth well, she honestly didn’t know what to expect anymore, from anyone. 

Lana was aware of Jason’s new relationship with Piper, the daughter of Aphrodite, and that Nico had told her that he had no memories prior to waking up on the bus to the Grand Canyon where Annabeth had found him, Piper and Leo. But she couldn’t help but feel hurt by the move, but would she have remembered Jason if their positions were reversed?

Percy had remembered Annabeth.

“You’re right.” Percy drew Lana from her thoughts and she looked back up at him, “I better get out there, are you coming?” 

Lana nodded, smiling at the son of Poseidon, “Yeah.” She stepped closer to him, adjusting the white toga that looked too similar to a bed sheet, she rested her uninjured palm open on his chest, taking a breath and keeping her eyes on his torso, her brain trying to think of something clever and smart to say. 

“Lana?” Percy’s hand moved to her arm, squeezing before his hand moved to her cheek, forcing him to look at her. 

Lana glanced at him, silent for the longest moment. She was rarely at a loss for words, but here she was drawing a blank. 

“You know you can talk to me.” He started, she could see the familiar look of concern in his eyes, she’d seen it directed at her before, Nico, Bianca, it seemed to be a look that he reserved for the children of Hades. 

Lana forced a smile and looked away from him, letting her hand drop from his chest before she nodded and looked back to him, “I know.” She answered easily, like she wasn’t contemplating all her actions under his gaze. “You’re one of the seven. Hera said that you’re the glue. You have to trust your gut, trust the others. Trust Jason.” She swallowed, pulling back from his touch and glancing towards the door, “Annabeth will be waiting, and you know how she gets.” 

The look of concern remained on Percy’s face and in his eyes before he followed Lana’s glance towards the door, “And Jason.” He responded, which made her stomach turn further. 

Jason and Percy were opposites, sky and sea, they were her contradiction and the fact she was stuck firmly between the two of them made her feel even more uncomfortable, even if one side was friendship and the other love.

They were the first two corners of a triangle, and she was the third. Much like their parents, much like their other siblings, Thalia, Tyson, Nico, Hazel. 

When she thought of the two of them, honest to gods, just thinking and imagining the two of them fighting side by side, she realised that this was why she was born into existence to a woman who threw her in the sea and the god who ruled the Underworld. 

“And Jason.” Lana nodded, it all came back to him, didn’t it? 


	5. V - Jason

“The heart in his rugged chest was pounding, torn”

― Homer, The Iliad

  
  


**V - Jason**

It was if a switch had been flicked. Months of not fully knowing who he was, where he was from and every detail in between, was suddenly there, every trivial moment, every milestone, everything important that had ever happened to him. 

Jason’s thoughts came to a full stop as he glanced back at Piper, across the deck of the Argo II, a headache settling between his temples at the sudden onset of memories and the dread that he’d deceived and led her on for the last few months, even if he wasn’t aware.

He could feel it in his bones that they were growing closer to Camp Jupiter, and he knew that when they arrived there would be little time to talk to Piper.

Jason brought a hand up to the back of his head and scratched his fingers through his blond hair before exhaling and moving over to the girl he’d shared the last few months with.

* * *

The scenes below them unfolded as they appeared through the clouds, the entirety of Camp Jupiter, and a growing crowd in the shadow of the Argo II.

They’d already decided on Annabeth going down, she was the leader of them, especially when Jason wasn’t able to be and she was the most level headed, along with her skill and strategy, she was the obvious choice. They then had decided that Jason would join her, the remainder waiting until it was clear and the Roman’s invited them into their camp.

As Leo prepared the ladder down, Jason bounced from foot to foot, rubbing his hands together awkwardly, his home, for most of his life was close, but he had such a connection with the people on the Argo II, he wasn’t fully ready to let that go.

“Ready?” Annabeth looked over at him, eyes as grey and stormy as a Venti that were fixed firmly on him.

Jason exhaled before nodding once, watching as she disappeared over the railing of the Argo II and down the rope ladder.

He waited a few moments before following, his hands gripping the rope tightly as he climbed down, he could have flown, they were in his father’s domain, but he preferred the climb down, his back to the crowd as he descended, feeling more himself than he had in months when he reached the ground.

Annabeth was eyeing the growing crowd around them, her hand positioned where it could easily grab hold of her dagger and react to any act of aggression that could occur.

It seemed that more than half of New Rome had turned up, but he wasn’t surprised, the spectacle of the Argo II high in the sky was something else, he was sure if he’d been in New Rome he would have been in awe.

Annabeth bumped Jason’s shoulder as they started walking, hearing his name in the murmurs around them.

“Reyna we can talk around.” His eyes searched the crowd for familiar faces. “I don’t know who they would have voted as Praetor while I was gone.” He shook his head, hand going to his pocket and tracing his fingers over his Ivlivs, just in case. “If it’s Octavian, we might have an issue, but that’s nothing we can’t handle.” He flashed Annabeth a smile and received a tight one in return before her eyes returned to the crowd.

He knew who she was looking for, Percy Jackson, her boyfriend who had gone missing months earlier, around the same time that Jason appeared at Camp Half-Blood, they assumed that they’d been swapped, that Percy had ended up at Camp Jupiter in Jason’s place.

The crowd seemed to clear in front of them as he saw the Praetor’s approach, Reyna who he recognised easily, her face softening slightly when she noticed Jason, but not by much. The man standing next to her he didn’t recognise, with dark hair and eyes that reminded him of the sea it was easy to put the pieces together, along with the way Annabeth started walking faster.

Annabeth approached the man, draped in a purple toga, a trident and letters SPQR standing out against the tanned skin of his forearm. As she grew closer he smiled widely, it seemed that his knowing smile was enough of an indication for Annabeth to wrap her arms tightly around his middle in an embrace, holding the taller man tight against her. 

Jason smiled and approached his fellow Praetor, pulling Reyna into a tight hug before he released her, his thoughts racing more than he could keep up.

“Reyna.” He smiled.

“Jason.” She responded, shaking her head before looking at Annabeth and Percy, who were no longer embracing, but their hands were linked tightly. 

“I see you’ve brought guests.” Reyna continued, glancing up towards the Argo II before over to Annabeth.

Jason nodded, “This is Annabeth, daughter of Min- Athena.” He still stumbled on the Greek names, much preferring Roman, but it made more sense to introduce her as a daughter of Athena rather than Minerva.

Reyna nodded, “We’ve met, on Circe’s island.”

Annabeth nodded, her grey eyes storming over with something that Jason couldn’t quite name. “So we did.” She smiled, “Though we weren’t properly introduced. Reyna, I presume?”

“Reyna Ramírez-Arellano, daughter of Bellona, Praetor of the Twelfth Legion.” Reyna introduced herself, “And you already know Percy.” She nodded to the dark haired boy who was looking sheepishly between Annabeth and Reyna.

Jason was taller than Percy, which made him feel better, standing next to the slayer of Kronos and Saviour of Olympus, he could see why so many people had been desperate to get Percy back, he seemed easy-going, but there was a look in his eye that he was sure they shared, a mark left behind that was caused by killing a Titan. It also explained a lot of the hostility that Jason had encountered when first turning up at Camp Half-Blood, he felt like the lesser out of the two of them, even if Jason’s father was Jupiter, King of the Gods.

A flash of red out of the corner of his eye pulled Jason from his thoughts and he felt as if all the air had been knocked out of him, he glanced towards where the blur had appeared in his vision and suddenly had a feeling of warmth, comfort and love, a heavy feeling that had he’d not realised he’d been missing for the past eight months.

He’d felt something similar with Piper, but not to the same extent, she was great, funny and beautiful, but it all made sense now, why he’d always been holding back, it wasn’t just the emptiness where his memories were supposed to be, but perhaps a subconscious effort to not get too attached.

She looked ready for a fight, her hand settled on the hilt of her sword that hung from her waist, her bright red hair tied back and strands that framed her face fluttering free in the gentle breeze.

Jason wanted to kick himself, _and_ kick Juno for removing his memories of the girl that stood near him, eyeing him warily, as if she wasn’t sure if it was really him. He glanced at Reyna, receiving a nod of approval before he started walking towards the girl, feeling eyes on him as he did.

He didn’t stop once he’d started towards her, his arm reaching around her waist once he got near enough and pulling her close to his chest, her hands moving around his waist, holding him tightly as she let out a shaky breath. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head, feeling the tension leave his body after all those months of being apart. Even if Jason hadn’t fully remembered her until the moment prior, he felt like the breath he’d been holding since he woke up on the bus on the way to the Grand Canyon finally left his body and he could breathe normally again.

It felt like hours instead of seconds before he pulled back, her dark eyes looking up at him, a hint of fear visible, like she wasn’t sure if he’d disappear right in front of her. 

He opened his mouth to speak before she shook her head and reached up on her toes, pressing her lips firmly to his, stopping any words that he could speak.

Reyna cleared her throat behind them before anything further could happen and Jason pulled back, his cheeks tinged red as he turned back to the two Praetor’s and Annabeth. “This is Lana, daughter of Pluto.” Reyna announced to Annabeth, “I apologise for Jason’s obliviousness.”

Jason frowned before he watched Lana step out in front of him and glance over Annabeth, receiving the same look back from the blonde.

“Thank you, Reyna.” Lana spoke, her hand tightly enclosed within Jason’s, “Atalanta Hale, daughter of Hades, ambassador to Poseidon.”

Annabeth looked back to Percy and then towards Jason, a slight look of confusion on her face, one that often accompanied Lana’s introductions, if there was a sign of anything other than confusion, Jason missed it.

“It’s a long story.” She clarified, “That includes one hell of a favour.” It was a shortened version of the story, one that often required several glasses of wine to have Lana explain the full extent of her upbringing. He’d only heard the story once, and Lana had been incredibly drunk, they’d spent most of the night drinking, along with the rest of the legion and had eventually ended up in Jason’s Praetor accommodation, fuelled with more wine, Lana had explained to him the story, how she was brought up, what was expected of her. That was one of the first nights they’d spent together, falling into bed in a haze of alcohol which seemed like a once off, which then spiralled into something more than either of them expected, her father had warned her about Jason, telling her to steer clear of the son of Jupiter, but that had just encouraged her.

Annabeth nodded, glancing to Percy, who then spoke for the first time. “If it’s alright, I’ll show Annabeth around.” He looked to Reyna before looking up to the Argo II that hovered above them.

Reyna nodded at the two of them, “I suggest we all have some catching up to do, and further discussions on our imminent problem. We will meet up again in the senate in two hours.” She joined Percy’s gaze in glancing at the Argo II before looking back at Jason and nodding, then turning on her heel and stepping back through the parting crowd.

Jason looked to Annabeth before he turned and looked back up at the Argo II, unsure if they should be leaving their friends up there or allowing them down to see the camp and join the discussion in two hours.

“I’ll let them know the plan.” Annabeth nodded to Jason before turning back to Percy, squeezing his hand with her own. “And then you can show me New Rome, Seaweed Brain.”

* * *

Jason let Lana lead him, moving away from the Barracks, and his Praetor accommodation, where he was certain Percy Jackson would have made himself at home in the several months that Jason was at Camp Half Blood, and towards Temple Hill. They didn’t speak as they climbed the hill, the only sound from their shoes as they trekked up the path, away from the looming shadow from the Argo II and the congregation of Roman’s who had settled to watch.

Lana stopped outside the Temple of Pluto, Jason glanced up at the structure, the sunlight flickering off the gemstones that lined the roof, he would have thought it was nice to look at if it hadn't been for the bones. He looked at his feet before he could feel his eyes being drawn to Jupiter’s temple, he could almost feel the eyes from the statue of his father staring at him.

Jason shook his head, shaking off the feeling of being watched before he looked back to the shorter girl; taking her in properly and noticing the small changes since he’d last seen her, her hair was shorter, she was dressed ready to fight, she wore boots, dark fitted pants and a matching shirt, leather arm bracers covered up her forearms, hiding her legion tattoos that he was familiar with. She looked antsy, her hand remained on the hilt of her sword and there was a look in her eyes that Jason couldn’t quite describe.

Lana opened her mouth, then closed it again, like she was about to speak, but changed her mind promptly, whatever she’d been planning on saying remaining unknown.

Jason stepped closer, into her personal space and glanced down at her, moving to tuck her hair behind her ear, but at the first moment of contact she flinched, his stomach flipped. “Lana, what’s wrong?” He questioned, while he hadn’t seen her for months on end, he still remembered every little thing about her, at least he thought he did.

She moved quicker than he had time to process and the next thing he felt was a sharp burning in his abdomen, under his naval and wet warmth spreading over his skin and through the fabric of his shirt. 

“W-what?” Jason gasped, turning and pressing his back firmly against Pluto’s temple as he slid down the black obsidian wall, his hand closing over his stomach, his eyes filtering between Lana’s face and the bloody dagger that she was holding in her hand, he hadn’t even seen her pull it from anywhere, it had just appeared in his gut, the only proof that Lana had been the one to wield it was the crimson staining her hand and the blade. 

Jason glanced down at his own hands, watching the way the red stained his fingers and palms.

She lent down to him, kneeling in front of him and taking his hands, dagger gone, almost like he’d imagined the whole thing, except for the stab wound in his torso. Lana pressed his hands firmly against the wound, meeting his eyes with her dark stare.

“Pressure, Jason.” She breathed, acting like it hadn’t been her that had caused the damage. 

The last thing he saw before he passed out from either the pain or blood loss was Lana’s eyes, dark as the temple wall that he was leaning against and her hair, as red as the blood that was staining their hands.

_“Seven half-bloods shall answer the call._

_To storm or fire, the world must fall._

_An oath to keep with a final breath._

_And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”_

_Jason jerked awake, or asleep, he could tell he wasn’t awake, that he was dreaming. He glanced down at his hands, skin free of the red stains that his blood had caused, definitely a dream._

_“And tell me, little hero, why should I trust you? Are you not the same child who assisted the Greek and Roman half-bloods with their defeat of Kronos and Krios, my sons?” The same voice that had spoken the Prophecy of the Seven answered, somehow sounding incredibly old and young at the same time._

_“I was blindly led by my faith in the Gods and my father. I am no longer blind. Telling you why I would be an asset to your forces would be easy, if you could take me at my word.” A second voice spoke, one that Jason knew well, Lana’s. “I think showing you that I am worthy of a spot in your cause would be the better option.”_

_Jason glanced around, he could see Lana, dressed how she’d been at Camp Jupiter, her sword hanging from her waist and the dagger she’d stabbed him with was now strapped to her thigh. The owner of the second voice was nowhere to be seen, but he knew who it was, could feel it in his bones, Gaea._

_“As you wish, daughter of Hades.” Jason could feel the ground shake as the words were spoken, like the earth itself was speaking. “Prove to me that you are with me and against you fellow half-bloods and I will consider your position.”_

_Lana nodded, face void of emotion, she closed her eyes and disappeared into the shadows._

* * *

Jason awoke to the infirmary at Camp Jupiter; his mouth feeling dry and like it was full of cotton as he moved to sit up, only pausing when he felt a hand press down on his shoulder.

“I wouldn’t.” Reyna’s voice spoke calmly, Jason moved back to lie down, opening his eyes and looking at his fellow Praetor.

“What?” Jason started his question before he glanced down at himself, seeing the crimson that had soaked through his shirt, but no longer feeling the pain or tightness, he presumed that was due to the ambrosia.

It took him a few more moments before he remembered the time surrounding his injury, and the dream that he’d encountered after he’d passed out, he looked to Reyna, noting the concern in her eyes, did she already know?

“You just turned up here, bleeding.” Reyna told him, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in next to Jason’s cot. “Do you remember what happened?”

Jason was silent at first, from what he’d put together, Lana had crossed him, devoting herself to Gaea instead of himself and their fellow half-bloods, but could that be right? They’d fought alongside each other against Krios on Mount Othrys, Lana hadn’t left his side, only not standing by him when Krios had injured her, he could still hear the sound of her hitting the ground, the way the blood spread down from her scalp over her face, was he now supposed to believe that she’d betrayed him for Gaea?

Not only their history of fighting side by side, but their other, more intimate past, memories of them spending time together, discussing battle tactics for war games, all the moments they’d shared over the years of knowing each other. It seemed unrealistic, but he wasn’t sure if there was another explanation. 

“No.” He answered before shaking his head and looking at Reyna, “Not really, I don’t know.” He brought a hand to his head, rubbing his fingers through his blond hair, against his scalp.

“Was there someone in the camp? Should we be worried about intruders?” Reyna questioned, forever the vigilant Praetor.

Jason exhaled, taking a few moments, “It was Lana.” He looked over at her, gauging her reaction.

A flash of confusion briefly crossed her face before she turned emotionless, as if she was trying to fit a puzzle together.

“Lana?” She asked, but Jason knew he didn’t have to repeat himself, she’d heard well enough the first time. “Why?”

Jason shook his head, moving slowly to push himself to sit up, his fingers tracing over the now healed skin where Lana’s dagger had pierced so easily, “I don’t know.” He repeated, he was at a loss, he honestly didn’t know. “It happened so quickly,” He paused, Reyna was his confidant, his equal in their shared leadership role (at least before Juno had meddled), he could trust her. “When I was out, I saw her, talking to,” Names had power, he had to tread lightly here, “the Earth Mother, discussing proving that she was against us.”

The more Jason said out loud the less he believed it, this was Lana, the girl he’d spent nights and days with, they’d fought and trained side by side, two children of the big three.

But he’d been missing the last eight months, and that was a long time, they’d gone from planning out their future together to Jason ending up at a different camp with the Greeks, that could have had an unknown effect on her, he wasn’t sure what he’d have done if the roles were reversed, but he recalled how distraught Annabeth had been when he’d arrived at Camp Half-Blood.

But there was still that uneasy feeling settling in his gut, how much could have changed in the past eight months? The Lana he remembered had fought against Krios with him, had almost died to protect the other half-bloods at Camp Jupiter, he knew that she had a dark side, but he couldn’t imagine her siding against them, and with Gaea, unless there was something else going on. 

Reyna got to her feet, her hand resting on her imperial gold dagger that hung from her hip, “We have to speak to the others, they’re gathering in the Senate.” 

* * *

Piper was immediately by his side as him and Reyna stepped into the Senate, her eyes looking over him worriedly. He smiled tightly at the daughter of Aphrodite, thankful that he’d changed his blood stained shirt at Reyna’s request, the others who sat on the bottom tier of the senate looking equally as worried as Piper. 

The first tier consisted of Annabeth, Percy, Hazel, Nico and Frank, who he didn’t know much about, but he knew he was in the 5th Cohort and had accompanied Percy and Hazel on their quest to Alaska. 

Leo was missing, Jason presumed he was still on the Argo. 

The rest of the Senate was quieter than normal, none of the known senators had come to discuss what had happened to Jason on Temple Hill and how he’d ended up in the infirmary, except Octavian, who sat alone on the second tier, a smug look on his face. 

Jason stood next to Reyna and he could almost imagine like the last few months hadn’t happened, that he was still Praetor alongside Reyna and his quest to rescue Juno and his introduction to the Greek camp hadn’t happened. 

Piper took a seat next to Annabeth, her eyes still worriedly set on Jason. 

He inhaled, glancing at Reyna before looking at the others, had they already made the connection? The only other missing was Lana. 

“I haven’t called for the other Senators as there is currently no need to alarm the rest of camp.” Reyna spoke, taking control of the situation, Jason was thoroughly thankful. 

The Praetor looked to Jason before continuing, “Lana attacked Jason.” 

Jason glanced at those sitting on the first tier of the senate steps, watching the emotions crossing over everyone’s face. 

A sour look settled on Piper's face her hand inching towards Katoptris, she was the only one in the room who didn’t know Lana, he wasn’t surprised at her immediate suspicions. 

Nico’s eyes immediately went to Hazel, he looked confused for a short moment before his eyes moved back to Jason’s, like he was expecting him to tell them all he was joking and provide some other explanation. 

Percy was the one to speak first, his emotions clearly evident on his face, he looked conflicted and blindsided. 

“Lana?” He questioned, sharing a glance with Annabeth, “She wouldn’t.” Percy shook his head, “I only just saw her, before the Argo II arrived, we had a discussion in the Praetor accommodation about your arrival. Why would she attack you?” He looked to Jason. 

Jason shifted, uneasy for a moment, Lana and Percy had a private conversation before he’d arrived on the Argo, he wondered if they’d gotten close in the months he’d been at Camp Half-Blood. 

Jason shook his head to clear his thoughts, “I saw something, when I was out, she was at Mount Othrys, pledging her allegiance to the Earth Mother.” 

Percy’s expression remained confused, “She had a cut on her palm.” He told the others, looking at Annabeth, and then to Nico. “She shadow travelled into the room, it looked deep and recent.” 

“Lana can’t shadow travel.” Nico corrected, “I’ve tried teaching her, we didn’t get far.” 

Hazel shook her head and looked between her brother and Percy, “She did, in Alaska, when Percy was in trouble, she just appeared.” 

Jason looked back to Percy, a small slither of jealousy turning his stomach, near where Lana had stabbed him. It was unnecessary though, he’d been gone, on another quest, at another camp with another girl, if Lana had moved on within that time, with Percy, he couldn’t blame her, but he did feel for Annabeth, who had been suspiciously quiet. 

“What exactly did you see, Jason?” The daughter of Athena questioned, leaning forward. 

Jason could still vividly see the scene if he closed his eyes, he could feel the wind whipping through the columns, the sound almost drowning everything else out. 

“There was a voice, coming from the ground, it mentioned the Prophecy of the Seven, and how Lana had to prove herself.” 

“Obviously we shouldn’t be trusting the Graecus, or the children of Pluto.” Octavian spoke from the second tier, his voice loud and obnoxious, Jason could see a small toy bear that hung at his hip as he stood. “Nor Jason in this situation, you can never be too careful.” 

Jason looked away from the Augur, they had never gotten along, and he was surprised that Octavian hadn’t weaselled his way into the Praetor position in his absence, he was glad that Percy had taken the position before Octavian could. 

Percy got to his feet, slipping a hand into his pocket and holding up a small folded piece of paper, “I found this, on the floor of the Praetor accommodation.” He looked at Jason, “It’s Lana’s handwriting, I didn’t think much of it, but I guess it makes more sense now.” 

Percy moved to stand next to the other two Praetor’s, giving Reyna a side glance. 

“The darkest of the eldest three, 

Will cross a line that should not be, 

To protect those who’ve loved and lost, 

In the end, the greatest cost.”

Nico had a sour look on his face when Percy finished reading, “I fucking hate prophecies.” 


End file.
